Protected metal article



June 28,v 1932. J. Hv YOUNG ET AL PROTECTED METAL ARTICLE Filed April 2. 1928 m51@ @M f4? Patented Jne 28, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFlcE JAMES HOWARD YOUNG AND PAUL WHISTLER JENKINS, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYL- VANIA, ASSIGNORS TO H. H. ROBERTSON COMPANY, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYL- VARTA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA ROTECTED METAL ARTICLE Application led April 2,

This invention relates to a protected metal article of that character in which the metal article is covered with a layer of asphalt or like bituminous material.

Protected metal articles of this character among other uses are employed for the roofs and sidings of buildings when in the form of sheets and provided with additional protective layers, such as a layer of asbestos, wool or like felt saturated with asphalt and ad# hesively afiixed to the asphalt layer on the metal sheet, and a weather-resisting layer of as halt or the like affixed to the ibrous layer.

rotected metal sheets of the character described are used in flat form but in most cases they are provided with corrugations or with other irregular forms, which require bending and flexing of the metal sheet and of the asphalt layer ailixed thereto.

To enable the metal sheet and the layer of asphalt ailixed thereto to be bent or flexed without cracking the asphalt layer, the latter is now made of an asphalt or like bituminous material which permits the metal sheet, after it has been covered with the asphalt and the latter is cold, to be corrugated or otherwise bent and shaped without cracking the asphalt layer so as to expose the metal sheet.

Asphalts heretofore used for the purpose of covering the metal sheets and permitting them to be corrugated, bent or otherwise changed in shape from a flat forni, have been such as have a penetration point sufficiently high to avoid cracking.

When protected metal sheets as heretofore constructed have been exposed to certain tire hazards, is has in some instances been found that a tendency has existed for the bituminous layers to How and drip under the inluence of the heat, and as a result an increased tire hazard has been presented.

In the practical use of protected metal sheets as siding for buildings, such sheets are at times exposed to so-called hapha-zard fires which may be at times quite severe. A siding sheet should not spread the flames from such haphazard fires to other parts of the building. Oneform of protected metal sheets now on the market utilizes bituminous layers as the means for protecting the steel 1928. Serial No. 266,853.

core sheets from corrosion, and these bitummous layers when exposed to hot fires will burn and as they burn the heat given 0E is, Yas a rule, carried upward over the siding sheets and in many cases is suicient to melt the bituminous coatings above, which then flow down the sheets to the fire zone, thus adding additional fuel and it is found that the fire spreads upward over the siding sheets.

The present invention has for an object to provlde a novel protected metal sheet whose construction is such as to reduce the above mentioned fire hazards to a minimum.

To this end the metal sheet of the protected metal sheet is covered with an asphalt composition possessing the flexibility and pliability required in order that the metal covered with the asphalt composition may be corrugated or otherwise bent without cracking the asphalt so as to expose the underlying sheet, and also possessing the hi hly desirable property of not flowing and ripping when heated or ignited, but remains practically in situ while being burned, thereby reducing the spread of the re due to the flowing or runnin of the asphalt when heated or ignited, an also reducing the spread of the fire and injuries to the iremen Within a building, caused by the ignited asphalt dripping from the roof or other overhead portion of the building down upon the contents of the building and upon the firemen who may be fighting the re from within the building.

A'bituminous material having the desir- 85 able features above mentioned may be produced b incorporating in a bituminous material o the type now commonly used, such as asphalt, a material having a particle size sufficiently small to produce with the asphalt, when incorporated therein in the proper proportions, a product having many char* acteristics of a jelly. -The material must not only be one whose particle size is very small, but it must also be capable of being wet by the Huid asphalt into which it is to be in-4 corporated.

The material added to the asphalt may be designateda filler, and a filler suitable for this purpose may and preferably will be 100 lampblack, but diatomaceous earth, infusorial earth, fossil Hour and like materials in the proper amounts may be used to good advantage. but. it is preferred to use lampblack, as the best results have been obtained tl1erewith.

In the protected metal sheets now commonly used as rooting and siding material for buildings, the asphalt covering the metal `sheet has a penetration point of from 30 to 40.

In producing a protected metal sheet embodying the present invention, it is preferred to produce an asphalt having the desirable non-dripping and non-flowing properties mentioned and which is of a consistency correspondingto a penetration of from 36-40. For such purposes about 18 parts by weight of lampblack are thoroughly incorporated with 91-92 parts of an asphalt, such as a semi-asphaltie base asphalt, of such penetration that the resulting-filled asphalt possesses a penetration within a range of 36-40. 'lhe improved asphaltl may be applied to the steel sheet to produce the protected metal article in any suitable manner and by any suitable means other t-han by immersion, as, for example, by passing the met-al sheet and the filled asphalt in plastic form through presser rollers in a manner well understood.

It may be preferred to employ the particular proportions herein mentioned, but it is not desired to limit the invention in this respect, as the proportion of lampblack or other filler used may be Varied within the limits wherein the asphalt layer will retain the flexibility required to enable it to be bent with the metal sheet without cracking and consequent exposure of the metal sheet to the action of the atmosphere, and yet will be present in suilicient amounts to impart to the asphalt the non-dripping and non-flowing property when ignited.

As above stated, it is preferred to use an asphalt having lampblack as a filler, and when this material is used, satisfactory results are obtained between the limits of from 10-16 per cent. of the lampblack by volume.

lVhile it may be preferred to employ an asphalt having lampblack as the filler, whereby the flexibility of the asphalt is retained to enable it to be applied to the metal sheet in a relatively thin layer, and to enable this layer to be bent with the metal sheet Without cracking, while at the same time imparting to the asphalt layer the non-dripping, noniowing feature when ignited, it is not desired to limit the invention in this respect, as diatomaceous and infusorial earths, fossil flour and like fillers may be used to advantage.

A preferred composition of asphalt for coating the steel sheet in producing a protected metal article of the character described, may be made by mixing from 10% to 16% by volume of lampblack into an asphalt of such penetration that the resulting tlled asphalt possesses a penetration within the range of from Sti- 40.

The improved protected metal sheet produced by utilizing such an asphaltic composition Will have its protective value increased without impairing the flexibility of the asphalt covering the metal sheet.

The drawing represents in section a protective metal sheet embodying this invention in Hat form. In the drawing 10 represents the metal sheet, usually of steel; 12, the layers of the iexible, non-dripping asphalt; 13, the layers of asbestos, Wool or other felt saturated with asphalt; and 14, the weatherresisting coatings 01 layers covering the felt layers.

By the term asphalt as used in the claims, it is desired to include not only asphalts, but also bitumens and like hydrocarbonaeeous materials.

lVhat is claimed is:

1. A metal article having thereon a compressed layer of normally plastic asphalt capable of being bent without cracking and containing a filler of lampblack between the limits of 10% and 16% by volume to resist flowing and dripping of the asphalt while burning without impairing the flexibility and pliability of the asphalt layer.

E2. A metal article having thereon a layer of asphalt having incorporated therewith a filler herein described in suiiicient quantity within substantially the limits of 10% to 16% by volume to render the asphalt incapable of coating the metal article by immersion, to enable the layer of asphalt to be bent without cracking and to render the asphalt nonfiowing and non-dripping when burned.

In testimony whereof, we have signed our names to this speeiication.

J A MES H OXVA RD YOUNG. PAUL WHISTLER JENKINS. 

